The Space Opera Surprise
by FoxPhile
Summary: One-shot. Just a little bit of domestic bliss as Penny has a surprise for Leonard's birthday. Written for the Lenny Week prompt: Nerdy Times.


**Author's Note: Trying my hand at a bit of Leonard/Penny fluff for Lenny Week. The prompt for today is **_**Nerdy Times**_**. I hope you like it.**

**For followers of my other stories – Please forgive me for not updating in such a long time. I do hope to get back to my babies soon. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**The Big Bang Theory or any of its characters**_**. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

. . . . . . . .

Leonard realized his eyes were open as his bleary gaze fell on the brightly colored blobs of the hanging paper lanterns above the bed.

His second conscious thought was that Penny wasn't in the bed with him. An unusual circumstance on any day, but particularly odd on a Saturday, when she usually preferred to languish in bed long after he woke up. After years of living with Sheldon, he was having trouble breaking the habit of waking up at 6 a.m. to participate in the usual Saturday morning Doctor Who ritual. He wondered, not for the first time, if years of adherence to Sheldon's rigid schedules doomed him to a life as a morning person. He shuddered as he turned over to reach for his glasses on the bedside table that was now wholly and completely his.

As he fumbled to affix his glasses to his face, he realized that music was drifting in from somewhere outside his bedroom - specifically, the ominous but unmistakable drumbeat of the Imperial March from Star Wars. Another quick glance around the room, now somewhat less blurry, revealed that he had neither been transported back in time to a date before his wedding, nor had he inexplicably slept in his old room in Apartment 4A. He was where he belonged, in the blue bedroom of Apartment 4B, which he shared with his wife of almost a year. He smiled, then frowned again as the music continued. Surely even Sheldon would not be playing his "I'm unhappy and about to destroy the planet" music at such a high decibel level so early on a Saturday morning, no matter how upset he might be. On the other hand, he could think of no reason anyone else in the building, least of all Penny, would be playing such music at all on a Saturday morning.

Throwing off the covers, he decided to investigate, only to turn abruptly when he was reminded of the needs of his bladder. Out of yet another ingrained habit, he glanced quickly at the clock, then remembered that it no longer mattered what time it was. He could use the bathroom any time he wished. He smiled again as he jauntily made his way into the room and closed the door.

A few moments later, relieved and refreshed, he made his way into the main room. The music segued into the more soothing notes of Princess Leia's Theme.

"Good Morning, Sweetheart," he addressed the scantily-clad blond who was swaying in time to the music behind the small kitchen island. She turned and smiled at him, her short locks swinging around to lightly brush her face before falling back into place. He thought the new, shorter haircut was adorable, but she complained that she couldn't pin it up anymore to get it out of her way.

"Happy Birthday, Birthday Boy!" She set down the spatula she was holding and came around the island, her hips swaying seductively. When she reached him, she threw her arms around him and kissed him long and deep. For what he knew would be only the first of many times that day, Leonard marveled that he really was married to her.

She ended the kiss, but kept her arms draped familiarly around his neck. He realized he was staring at her eyes and smiled. "Thank you… I'm… thank you," he stuttered.

Leonard felt her fingers reach up and playfully toy with the curls behind his left ear. He realized they should probably disentangle their embrace and get on with the business of the day, but he honestly couldn't think of a really good reason why. He supposed they would eventually starve if they never moved from that position, but he wasn't entirely sure he cared.

Suddenly, Penny whirled and sprinted back to the stove, cursing and leaving his neck and shoulders suddenly chilled. "Oh, crap!" she cried, pulling a pan off the stove and dumping its contents into the sink. She looked up, frowning, but as he caught her eye she shrugged and grinned. "That was supposed to be French Toast for your birthday breakfast. Now it's just charcoal," she lamented. "I think we have more eggs and bread. I'll just whip up another batch."

Leonard approached the island and eased a hip up onto one of the stools. There was a cup waiting for him, and a thermos pot. He picked up the pot and poured, inhaling the fragrant steam. Penny's cooking skills had not improved a whole lot, but she made some of the best coffee he'd ever had. He also had to admit that her French Toast was one of his favorite breakfasts. All the same… "You don't need to go to all that trouble, Penny. We can just stop some place for breakfast on the way to the Paint Ball Park."

"Firstly, sweetie," she replied, fixing him with a look before turning to open the refrigerator and get more eggs. He admired the view as she bent over to retrieve the carton from one of the lower shelves. "I will not be caught dead in any restaurant anywhere in Pasadena – or the entire state of California – dressed in camouflage like an overgrown GI Joe."

She turned back and set the carton of eggs on the counter, leaned way over and kissed his cheek. "Secondly, I'm sorry babe, but I don't think we're going to be playing Paint Ball today. Have you looked out the window?"

Leonard turned to face the one large picture window that normally bathed the room with sunlight. It didn't really register with him earlier, but what little light came into the room was watery and grey. It was pouring down rain.

"Amy already called," she continued as she began to crack fresh eggs into a bowl and whisk them briskly. "Sheldon came up with four or five alternative birthday outings – most of which involved museums or trains or one that was apparently a combination of the two. But I told Amy to tell Sheldon that if anyone was going to decide what we do on your birthday, it was going to be me and not him!"

Leonard choked a bit on his coffee, laughing. "And how did Sheldon react to that?" he inquired.

"I'm not sure," she replied as she dipped slices of bread into the frothy eggs. "He was engrossed in some silly show when Amy called, so she said she'd tell him afterwards. So far, I haven't heard any explosions from across the hall, so either it's a long program, or else Amy has finally gotten Sheldon to realize that he can't schedule everyone else's life for them. Miracles do happen you know!" She grinned and turned to begin placing the dripping bread slices onto the hot griddle. They sizzled and a delicious aroma began to fight for dominance with the previous smell of burnt food.

"Oooo-kaay," he said, "So what do _**you**_ have planned for _**my**_ birthday?" He realized the emphasis was probably lost on her. While not as overt as Sheldon, he discovered not long after moving in with his then fiancé that Penny could be nearly as controlling about their social activities as Sheldon was. He honestly didn't mind. She allowed him ample time to indulge his need for male companionship with Sheldon, Howard and Raj, she kept Sheldon's schedule in mind and included a number of activities with the old gang in their social calendar. As her career advanced, however, she asked him to escort her to a number of fancy Hollywood events throughout the year. Just before their wedding, they attended the premiere of a film in which she had a small but pivotal supporting role. The movie gained critical acclaim and was even nominated for a number of Oscars. His first real taste of what this could mean was brought home when he stood on the sidelines as she stepped onto the red carpet and stood facing a mob of photographers all shouting her name and urging her, "Turn left, Penny! Turn left! - - - Over here! To your right, Penny!" She was giddy with excitement the rest of the evening, but he felt overwhelmed and nervous. So much so that he didn't even notice he was sitting just three seats away from George Lucas during the dinner.

Things calmed down considerably once the awards season was over, but he knew that his wife's name was in the minds of more than one Hollywood director now. It was only a matter of time before Penny Hofstadter became a real celebrity, and then their lives would change significantly. But for a little while yet, he could enjoy his birthday with his wife and his friends. Although it was apparent that his stated desire to have a game of Paint Ball with the whole gang – including Amy, Bernadette and Emily – was falling victim to a rare Southern California rainstorm.

"…so I decided we could have an early May the Fourth celebration – especially since we just got the latest movie on Blu-ray – and do a Star Wars movie marathon."

Leonard realized he didn't hear much of what Penny said while he was musing, but figured it probably wasn't overly important. "So I guess that's what the music is about? Setting the mood, are you?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Penny deftly flipped the toast on the griddle, then came around the bar to wrap her arms once more around his neck. She kissed him, soft and quick. "Yep. Do you like my idea? I know how much you love Star Wars, and this weather isn't good for much else."

He kissed her back. "Well, I can think of _**one**_other thing it might be good for."

She smiled. "True – but you said you wanted to celebrate your birthday with the whole gang and I don't think…"

"No…no. Star Wars is great. It'll be a lot of fun. But won't Sheldon want to do it all over again on the real May the Fourth?"

Penny stepped back to turn the heat off the stove and slide the finished breakfast onto plates. She set one in front of him, and turned back to grab the syrup and margarine, then hooked a stool with her foot and sat down in front of her own plate. "You let me and Amy worry about Sheldon. Ever since she moved in, that girl has Sheldon wrapped right around her pinkie. She swears it hasn't happened yet, but I really think she's leading him around by his you-know-what."

"Ugh, please! I'm eating here!"

"Sorry!" Penny chortled. "Don't mean to ruin your appetite, but I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time before we start hearing the pitter-patter of little benign overlords."

"Getting back to the birthday plans," Leonard pointedly changed the subject, "Are you sure _**you're**_ ok with this? I know Star Wars really isn't your thing."

Penny reached over and wiped a drop of syrup from the corner of his mouth, then sucked the sweet, sticky substance from her thumb. "It's _**very**_ok, Leonard. _**You're**_ my thing and you love Star Wars and this is your birthday, so I want you to enjoy it." She took another bite of French Toast, and licked a bit of syrup from her own lips before continuing, "Besides, after almost nine years, a thing grows on you, you know?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .


End file.
